Increased speed and power aren’t always the keys to more productivity for support services contractors in the fast-paced oil and natural gas industries. In slickline work, for instance, finesse always trumps fast – and that’s why Elmore & Elmore Wireline Services Inc. invested in slickline trucks manufactured by Eclipse Wireline.
“Fast is a bad word in our business,” says Taylor Jones, general manager of the downhole-services company based in Rock Springs, Wyo. “So instead of speed, we strive for efficiency through use of new technology,” he adds. “What we do is not a speedy job.”
Elmore & Elmore primarily performs downhole services in the natural gas fields in southwestern Wyoming. The company owns three Eclipse trucks: two built on 2010 Kenworth T800 chassis and one on a 2011 Kenworth T440 chassis. The company also expects to take delivery of a fourth truck (on a Kenworth chassis) in early 2012, Jones says.
WORK THE GAUGES
The Eclipse trucks feature cutting-edge electronic technology that enables operators to work downhole with a greater degree of control. Sensitive gauges give operators a better understanding of what’s going on unseen downhole, Jones notes.
“Take the weight-indicator gauge, for example,” he says. “When our operators are working 12,000 or 15,000 feet under the ground, the only way they know what’s going on is by the weight indicator. We can’t physically see what’s going on down there, so we work strictly off the gauges.
“If we’re setting a plug in the bottom of a well, for instance, the operator looks at the weight indicator after he detaches from the plug, or shears off. It’s the only way he knows he left the plug down there, because the indicator shows he’s carrying less weight.
“A plug might weigh less than 30 pounds, so (without accurate gauges) it’s hard to tell when it lets go,” he concludes. “You can easily think you set a plug and come all the way out of the hole, and find the plug is still on the end of the tool string. With these trucks, there’s far less guesswork about how much weight we’re pulling.”
The same is true if an operator is trying to retrieve something from downhole –say, pieces of a plunger that might weigh just 10 pounds.
“Sensitive gauges are so important … the more accurate they are, the better off we are,” he says.
Jones also touts the trucks’ low-emission engines as a benefit. The trucks idle all the time, so lower emissions are important – especially in areas with strict air-quality standards. In some areas of Wyoming, he points out, officials will shut down an entire gas field if emissions are too high.
“Lower emissions help our customers, ourselves and the industry,” Jones notes.
COMPLETE MORE TASKS
While speed is not as essential in downhole work, the increased efficiency provided by more accurate and sensitive gauges might enable Elmore & Elmore crews to occasionally complete one more job per day than they otherwise might, Jones says.
“That doesn’t happen every day, but on some days there’s a good chance we can finish one more job,” he says. “And in the long run, that can lead to repeat business. If we can work on three of their wells in one day instead of doing two in one day and the third on another day, that increased productivity and efficiency saves them money, which in turn can lead to repeat business.”
The newer, well-maintained trucks also reflect well on the company. While the value of that may be difficult to gauge, Jones says customers typically comment on how impressed they are with the trucks and like having them on job sites, to the point that they often get inside and watch the operators work.
“Do these trucks give us an advantage? Absolutely,” Jones says. “Can I quantify that? No. But I know that it reflects well on our company. Certainly our customers have to think we’re not going to buy one of these if we aren’t going to be around very long.”
How important are the trucks to the company?
“Along with our valued employees, these trucks are our company,” Jones says. “Without them, we’re nothing. To do what we do, we’ve got to have good, reliable equipment and great, experienced employees. It’s not like a pickup truck, where if it breaks down you can rent another one. That’s not how it works for us. We can’t live without these trucks.”
